Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “handily” come from?

Handily comes from English handy plus the suffix -y, from Middle French -ie, ultimately from Latin -ia and -ivus, tracing back to Proto-Indo-European -kos.

handily (English): In a handy manner; skillfully; conveniently

Definitions

  1. In a handy manner; skillfully; conveniently

Ancestry of “handily”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-lyUsed to form adjectives from nouns, the...
2EnglishgrislyHorrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;...
3Middle Englishgrisely—
4Old Englishgrisliċgrisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid
5Old English-līċsuffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning...
6Proto-Germanic*-līk—
Every word from Proto-Germanic *-līk →